Lauren “Panda” Daniels is someone who blends into the crowd like a chameleon. She knows how to navigate her school hallways without causing any commotion and she keeps her secrets well hidden. No one knows that she is the one in charge of the famous photo blog responsible for revealing her classmates’ cruel and dirty secrets. At least, that’s what she thinks. Her secret identity is suddenly put in jeopardy when someone threatens to reveal her hobby. Unless she plays a part in her blackmailer’s malicious game, her biggest secret will be exposed. Now, Panda is stuck in a cage as she fights to retain her identity, her dignity, and her sanity.

Endangered by Lamar Giles is a wonderful, enthralling, and diverse novel. The characters aren’t made to be perfect. Rather, Giles uses quirky and realistic characters, which made this even more enjoyable to read. You will find a delightful blend of mystery, sarcasm, and action within these pages. I read the last page with a smile on my face, and I’ll definitely be rereading this in the future.

Looking for a page-turner? Then I definitely recommend Giles’ book Endangered.

Cora wakes up in a foreign, red desert with her head throbbing, her entire body sweating, and confusion eating away at her mind. The last thing she remembers is driving in a car with her brother through the snowy terrain of Virginia, and a dream about a beautiful angel. However, as she wanders around the desert, she discovers that she is not alone: five other teenagers roam the area, and they are just as bewildered as Cora. Nevertheless, they soon discover that they are not on Earth anymore. Rather, they have been taken by extraterrestrials and are now trapped inside a human zoo, where escaping becomes more impossible by the minute.

The Cage by Megan Shepherd is such a riveting start to a new series. The pages drip with suspense from beginning to end. This is one of those books that is hard to tear your imagination away from. As soon as you think you understand what is going on, another plot twist is thrown your way. I’m actually really anxious because I have to wait so long for the next book to come out! Anyway, there are many characters to keep track of, but I found that I became so interested in this unique tale that I had no trouble distinguishing each of them. Overall, Shepherd paints a brilliant picture about love, trust, and what it means to be human.

If anyone is interested in an intense, mesmerizing sci-fi series, I would definitely recommend starting with Shepherd’s wonderful book The Cage.

Mare Barrow only knows two types of people: Silver-bloods, those with supernatural powers who live like royalty, and Red-bloods, average people who slave over serving the Silvers. As a Red, Mare observes the Silvers with bitterness. While she must act as a thief in order to put food on her family’s table, the Silvers always have a full stomach. However, one day Mare discovers the unthinkable: she, a poor girl with Red blood, has a superhuman ability of her own. To rid people of suspicion, the king and queen give her a false identity and force her to marry one of their sons. Any mistake she makes could have her killed by the king instantly. In a palace filled with power-hungry Silvers, all Mare truly knows is that anyone could betray her at any moment.

The ideas presented in this novel are very original and refreshing. I absolutely loved the creativity, and I am sure everyone else will as well. The author, Victoria Aveyard, has a fantastic imagination, and the magical world that she creates is just as interesting as the strange characters that live within it. Surprising plot twists and killer suspense make it easy for a reader to feel glued to the story. Although many aspects of this book are heart-wrenchingly sad, I was really satisfied with the quality of the book, and I would gladly read it again.

Overall, Red Queen is great for those who are eager for a captivating and imaginative fantasy story. Plus, make sure to look out for the next two books of this trilogy!

The strive for perfection is something that many people struggle with in their day-to-day routines. The media constantly hammers standards of what perfection supposedly is, and how it can be obtained. Many people have expressed how sickening the results of the media can be, but one woman, Christine Heppermann, has spoken against it in a very unique way. In her book Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty, Heppermann exposes the flaws of the media’s portrayal of perfection through fifty poems. She addresses many topics, including body image, self-harm, love, and more. The twist, however, is that the poems are written in the context of fairy tales. Additionally, each poem is accompanied by a captivating picture, which adds to the depth of Heppermann’s writing.

This book connected with me on many different levels, and I’m sure it will do the same for others. These brutal, heartbreaking, and occasionally humorous poems are very relatable, which makes them a thrill to read. Furthermore, although this book has some humor, it is quite dark. So, if you’re looking for something joyful and lighthearted, keep in mind that Poisoned Apples isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Still, it is a fantastic read if you want to experience an impactful piece of work. Heppermann’s book does not take much time to read, though, so I suggest to take it in slowly to get the full effect. Otherwise, it’s a great book if you want to read something that’s fast and memorable.

The main audience for this book is teenage girls, but I think people of various genders, ages, and interests can read it and receive pleasure from the poems. For poetry fans, fairy tale lovers, feminists, or anyone looking for a quick yet satisfying read, Poisoned Apples is definitely a great book to check out.

Planet Windsong is in jeopardy. Ever since the disappearance of Princess Snow, everything has spiraled into chaos. Violence erupts as the king and queen of Windsong order a war against the group of people who supposedly kidnapped their daughter. Unfortunately, the fighting shows no evidence of stopping quickly. Although many rumors concerning Princess Snow’s location float about, not a trace of her is found, and the war continues for years as the search for the princess persists. Meanwhile, on planet Thanda, a girl named Essie remains content helping and repairing the seven drones she created to help run Thanda’s mines. However, when Essie decides to help a man named Dane who crashes his ship nearby Essie’s residence, her contentment begins to fade. Dane ends up knowing more about her past than she realizes, and he ends up dragging two of them into the very midst of Windsong’s turmoil.

R.C. Lewis’s futuristic spin on the story of Snow White was definitely something I adored reading. The action is exciting, the plot twists are intriguing, and the references to the fairy tale of Snow White were fun to find. The story is also rather complex, which made stepping into the world of Stitching Snow that much more interesting. However, for the first several chapters, this complexity makes it difficult to absorb what is going on in the story. Although initially it does take a while to stitch together the information about the plot, the book is extremely fascinating from beginning to end, and the story sucked me in the further that I read.

This book is a great find for action, sci-fi, and fantasy readers. It has everything from romance, to drama, to adventure, and much, much more. Stitching Snow is a wonderfully written retelling, and a story that will stick with you long after you’ve finished.

To what lengths would you go to remember a night you’ve been forced to forget? Emily Bird, the main character of the book Love is the Drug, would risk it all. After waking up in the hospital several days from the night of a party, Bird only recalls snapshots of the evening: fragments of conversations, her boyfriend’s car wheels turning, a strange boy chasing after her. However, an odd government official named Roosevelt is determined to keep her memories at bay. He fears that she knows more than she should about her parents’ secret work, and about the flu virus that is spreading over the world and sending everyone into havoc. As Bird juggles the stress of relationships, school, and the danger of the virus, she and a drug-dealer named Coffee work desperately to find out why Bird cannot remember that night of the party, and why Roosevelt wants to keep that night a secret.

Mystery and suspense fill this story, making it an engaging and thrilling piece of fiction. The author, Alaya Dawn Johnson, writes in a manner that really sparked my curiosity. I loved the complexity of the plot and the emotion I felt while reading. However, there is a lot of information you have to follow all at once in this book, which makes some things hard to understand. On the other hand, this aspect actually makes it more interesting and engaging, because there’s always something new to discover. In total, Johnson stunningly weaves together a variety of characters with a thought-provoking plot that keeps you guessing.

For anyone who enjoys suspense and love stories, or for those who simply want a fascinating book to pass the time, Love is the Drug is a great choice. The story will definitely capture your attention.

In a mysterious town called Fairfold, within a mythical forest, a glass coffin containing a sleeping boy rests on the earth. His unimaginable beauty, his sharp horns and ears, and his unexplainable existence draw numerous townsfolk and tourists to visit the coffin, and to investigate other magical creatures in the woods. The people who seem to be the most fascinated by the creatures are two townsfolk: Hazel and her brother, Ben. Ever since they were children, they spent their time admiring the horned boy and dreaming about slaying monsters that harmed innocent humans. But on the brink of Ben and Hazel’s transition into adulthood, the horned boy awakes. As Hazel sets out to be the savior of the town, she questions if she has what it takes to return the town to the way it once was, as well as to manage her own tangled and drama-filled life.

If anyone out there wants to read an astounding fantasy novel, I can honestly say that The Darkest Part of the Forest is a book you should dive into. With the non-stop adventure, the sensational love stories, the incredible story-line, and just the overall creativity of the book, Holly Black has crafted an original journey that I’m sure so many readers will love to experience. Some people may not be happy about the references to sexual activity and alcohol, but in most cases this comes in small and minor doses. Still, this book made me crave more each time I read it. Black is definitely worthy of being a bestselling author.

For those of you wanting a novel blended with plenty of creativity and fantasy, keep your eyes open for this book, as well as for other works by Holly Black.

All Amy Fields expected on her summer vacation was to endure her family trip on a yacht with her father and her stepmother. At first, everything is normal, or at least as normal as the situation could be for a disconnected family attempting to get along during their vacation. However, when a group of Somali pirates takes over the yacht and holds Amy’s family and the crew members hostage, the family’s hope for serenity is replaced with the hope for survival. As if this is not hectic enough, Amy finds herself falling into a forbidden love with someone aboard the ship. Each day sends a new wave of confusion among the hostages. Despite this, Amy eventually finds that even when everything feels broken, you can eventually piece yourself back together again, no matter how difficult.

Both the excitement of the action and the depth of the emotion within Hostage Three were compelling aspects throughout the book. Moreover, the book is told from the perspective of seventeen-year-old Amy, which makes the book both easy to read and relatable for teenagers. I thought her language was somewhat repetitive at times, but this is a minor flaw for such an interesting book. I was drawn to Hostage Three after reading another novel by the same author, and I have to say, Nick Lake does not disappoint. Along with this book, I suggest checking out any of Lake’s work.

If you’re looking for a book with an engaging plotline or a story filled with emotion, this would be a great book for you to get your hands on.

A private island of hope and deception, a group of four friends, secrets, lies, accidents – all of these things appear in the unique and unforgettable novel We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. There is love, there is loss, there is uncertainty. While I would love to tell you more, this dramatic and suspenseful novel is best experienced if you simply read it, with as little spoilers as possible. Overall, it’s a heartbreaking read with a dark plot, a distinct writing style, and a haunting ending.

I’ve read many young adult novels in my life, but this book is definitely not like anything I have ever read before. It’s a quick read, and the plot initially starts out slow, but I loved watching the story unwind. It’s writing is poetic, the content is raw and deep, the ending is powerful. The unique writing style is rather choppy, which may not be appealing to some readers, but even if the writing style isn’t your favorite, I still think the story is worth reading. E. Lockhart has woven together a remarkable novel, and I highly recommend that you read it to see what all the hype is about. Oh, and the blurb says to lie about the ending, so for all you know this could end up being a tragic story about circus clowns. You’ll never know unless you read it.

To conclude, if you ever want to read a thrilling mystery novel, or if you just want a fascinating yet short read, We Were Liars is a great choice.

In the thrilling adventure found within Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith, a fifteen-year-old named Austin explores some of the typical aspects of the teenage experience: family issues, sexual orientation, finding yourself, and so forth. However, unlike the average teenager, Austin also has to deal with the fact that he and his friend, Robby, are partially responsible for unleashing an army of unstoppable praying mantises. Suddenly, the fate of the world has fallen on their shoulders. Although there are clearly plenty of issues that take place during the end of the world, Smith proves that the complexities of human nature can be just as terrifying and mysterious, if not more so.

Despite how odd this book may sound in a summarization, I can definitely say that just a short summary could never do this book justice. The original and inquisitive manner in which Smith delivers this story is difficult to adequately describe without giving away too many spoilers. Granted, this book is not for everyone, but for those who are willing to take the plunge, it can be an extraordinary experience.

In total, for anyone eager to explore a thought-provoking adventure book, I highly recommend reading Grasshopper Jungle.